FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 11, 2024 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in action during her semi final match against Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova REUTERS/Paul Childs/File Photo
(Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said she has pulled out of tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan due to a back issue but is aiming to return to action before the WTA Tour's season finale in Riyadh in November.
The world number four enjoyed plenty of success in the first half of 2024, winning titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart, but missed several tournaments due to illness and injury thereafter.
After reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals she withdrew from the Paris Olympics due to bronchitis and pulled out of the U.S. Open in August due to a lower back injury after winning her opening match.
"Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments," Rybakina said in a statement.
"While I've been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it's best to prioritise my health at this time."
The 25-year-old, who split from her long-time coach Stefano Vukov just days before the U.S. Open, is third in the WTA race to the Nov. 2-9 Finals.
"This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organisers and all of my fans," the Kazakh player added.
"My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
